There are a wide variety of electrical connectors which are mounted through an opening in a panel and for coupling to a mating connector on a side of the panel opposite the direction of insertion of the connector. In some applications, it is desirable to close and seal the opening in the panel to isolate the inner side of the panel from the outside environment, such as for moisture proofing the arrangement. This often is accomplished simply by grommets which surround the connector and provide a seal between the connector and the edge of the opening in the panel. The grommets may include body portions which surround and also provide protection for the connector itself, such as in the form of a boot.
Some panel mounted connectors also have latch means in the form of latch fingers for retaining the connector at a particular position relative to the opening in the panel Usually, the latch fingers on the connector engage the panel within the opening therethrough. A sealing device, therefore, must accommodate these latch fingers and, consequently, a grommet extending through the opening is impractical. In such applications, a sealing boot may surround the connector on the outside of the panel, with a peripheral sealing flange engaging the outside panel surface about the opening in the panel and surrounding the connector and its latching fingers. The peripheral flange usually is flexible, and one of the problems in using such boots is to provide pressure which will maintain the flexible flange in sealing engagement with the panel surface. This may be accomplished by outside clamps, tape or the like, but such devices may become loosened and slippage occurs resulting in loss of the seal.
This invention is directed to solving the above problems of providing an adequate seal for a panel mounted connector, with new and improved seal-facilitating features.